Nappa: Nature or Nuture?
by TheLegendOfRemy
Summary: In an AU where Vegeta spares Nappa, how would the presence of Nappa affect future events? Could Nappa be redeemed or is he destined to a life of evil?
1. Prologue

The brutish, hulking Saiyan warrior named Nappa barreled toward Goku's son and best friend. Despite Goku's advantage in speed and power, the sheer resilience and hardiness of Nappa had allowed the fight to drag in. Until Vegeta had decided enough was enough, that is. But Nappa hadn't had enough yet. He wanted to inflict even more pain and suffering. What better target than Gohan and Krillin? As Nappa closed in on the frightened, cowering duo, a flash of red ki appeared and suddenly, Goku stood on the ground, holding Nappa above his head. He threw the now crippled Saiyan toward Vegeta, who looked down at his fallen comrade with disdain.

Vegeta looked down at Nappa's broken body with a scowl etched across his face. _Taken down by some low class trash like Kakarot. You've brought shame to the Saiyans._ Nappa reached out his hand toward Vegeta, hoping the prince would help him. Though Vegeta was disgusted that Nappa had lost, he decided to take mercy on him. Nappa had practically raised the prince after King Vegeta had died. Vegeta valued strength above all else, but he was not without a sense of honor. Nappa and he had waged many wars over the decades and that built a respect Vegeta could not betray.

Vegeta took Nappa's hand and tossed him twenty feet off to his right. Nappa hit the ground with a thud, crying out in pain. "Vegeta, why?!" He exclaimed. "Shut up, Nappa!" Vegeta replied. "You're lucky I didn't kill you for losing to trash like Kakarot. Now get your pathetic, frail body out of here. I'll deal with Kakarot." Vegeta quickly made his way over to Nappa's armor, which he had discarded earlier, to fetch the remote control for Nappa's space pod. Goku was shocked at Vegeta's speed. Vegeta tossed the remote over to Nappa, who pressed a few buttons even as his every move he made put him in agonizing pain.

"Don't you concern yourself with him, Kakarot. He is no longer a factor. Your only concern is with me now, now." Goku glared at Vegeta as he said this, his hand curling up into a fist. "Fine, but we ain't fighting here. I don't want anything happening to my friends' bodies. And Gohan and Krillin are gonna stay outta this." Vegeta just smirked as he listened to Goku's conditions. "Fine, have it your way, Kakarot. But just remember. When you're as broken as Nappa, that's when I'll be going after your son." Just then, Nappa's pod appeared out of the sky and landed a few feet from him. Nappa slowly crawled into the pod. Even with a broken back, he still wouldn't give up. Goku couldn't help but admire his tenacity.

With Nappa gone from the battlefield, Goku and Vegeta fled to another location and began their battle. Vegeta had the early advantage, forcing Goku to use a Kaioken x 3. Goku severely wounded Vegeta's pride, eventually blasting the Saiyan prince away with a powerful kamehameha, augmented by a Kaioken x 4. This prompted Vegeta to produce an artificial moon, causing him to turn into an Oozaru, the great ape form of the Saiyan race. Goku attempted to use the Spirit Bomb on Vegeta, but Vegeta was able to blast Goku before he could.

Eventually, Gohan and Krillin returned to help Goku, but it was Yajirobe who cut off Vegeta's tail, resulting in him shrinking down to his normal size. Not long after that, Goku transferred the remaining energy of the spirit bomb to Krillin. Though Vegeta initially dodged the spirit bomb, Gohan reflected it back at him. But Vegeta refused to die and even managed to survive the spirit bomb. Goku had to resort to the desperate measure of telling Gohan to look at Vegeta's artificial moon and become an Oozaru as well. After a desperate struggle in which Vegeta cut off Gohan's tail, Gohan crushed Vegeta as he fell to the ground, leaving the Saiyan prince nearly as broken as Nappa had been.

As Vegeta tried to make his escape, Krillin took Yajirobe's sword, determined to Kill Vegeta for all the pain he and Nappa had inflicted. But Goku pleaded with Krillin to spare him, admitting that he had a selfish desire to fight Vegeta again. Krillin reluctantly allowed Vegeta to escape as he did not want to betray the wishes of his best friend, Goku. Thus, Vegeta blasted off into space to reunite with Nappa, who was headed for Planet Freeza 79. Goku, Gohan and Krillin spent the next few months recuperating and making preparations to head to Planet Namek. However, Vegeta _and_ Nappa were also making plans for their own arrival on the Namekian homeworld.


	2. Chapter 1

Vegeta opened his eyes as the fluid in the healing chamber drained out. He peered out at the scientists pouring over the data. _I don't have the time for this. I need to get to Namek._ "Tell me, where' Nappa? Or is his back still broken?" Vegeta asked one of the scientists as he put on his armor. "No, Prince Vegeta, he's managed to make a full recovery. He's waiting for you out by the launch pad." Vegeta put on his gloves and walked out of the medical bay toward the launch pad. His attempt to get the dragon balls on earth may not have gone his way, but he swore to himself that Namek would be different.

Along the way, Vegeta passed by Cui, who admonished Vegeta for his defeat on earth. Not wanting to endure a meaningless conversation with Cui, Vegeta attempted to continue on past his rival. But Cui stopped him, putting his hand on Vegeta's shoulder, and informed him that Freeza was already headed toward planet Namek. Realizing that his hopes of ever defeating Freeza could be slipping away, Vegeta raced toward the landing pod. Nappa was there waiting for him with two space pods ready. The Saiyans entered their pods and headed off toward Namek, arriving just minutes after Gohan, Krillin and Bulma had landed.

Seeing two space pods streak across the sky followed mere moments later by a third, Krillin threw his hat to the ground in frustration. Their pursuit of the dragon balls suddenly became far more complicated. And there was still that incredible power off in the distance. An overpowering, evil ki that unnerved Krillin to his very core. _Damn it! The Saiyans are here too_. _And that ki… I've never felt anything like it. It makes Vegeta feel like nothing._ But Krillin knew that they had to wish their friends back as well as prevent the dragon balls from falling into the hands of their enemies. Speaking of enemies, two scouts had come to investigate their landing site and blasted their ship into an unusable state. Gohan and Krillin easily dispatched the scouts but now they were without a way to get back to Earth.

A short while later, Gohan and Krillin were perched on a cliff side, overlooking Freeza and his men attempting to obtain another dragon ball. Gohan could only stand to watch so much death, so when one of Freeza's henchmen, Dodoria, was about to murder an innocent Namekian child, Gohan intervened. He and Krillin grabbed the child and fled, barely managing to escape Dodoria thanks to Krillin's use of the Solar Flare technique. They learned that the Namekian child's name was Dende, who as thanks for saving him, promised to take the earthlings to see the Grand Elder of Namek.

Shortly before Gohan and Krillin got into their first confrontation with Freeza's forces, Cui had confronted Vegeta and Nappa, determined to end his rivalry with the Saiyan prince once and for all. "You almost lost to a pathetic group of earthlings and now you think you can challenge me? Even with Nappa helping you, it won't make a difference." Cui sneered at the two Saiyans. "Pathetic group of earthlings huh? It's funny. Those earthlings are going to be the reason you die here today, Cui," Vegeta said as he stared Cui down. "You see, I picked up a few useful tricks from the earthlings. And the fact that I came back battered and broken? Well, you see, Cui, when a Saiyan is brought to the brink of death, he becomes much, much stronger when he's healed."

Cui grew apprehensive but he was still skeptical that what Vegeta was saying was true. He turned on his scouter and read the prince's power level. "Ha! Only 15,000. You've actually gotten weaker, Vegeta. But don't worry. I'll make this quick." Just as Cui was preparing to strike, Vegeta took off his scouter, let it drop to the ground and put his foot atop it. "W-what are you doing? You wouldn't destroy your own scouter!" "Well, Cui, that's the other thing I picked up from the earthlings." Vegeta crushed the scouter beneath his foot, causing Cui to gasp in surprise. "I learned that you can't always trust the scouters. I learned how to suppress my power!"

Vegeta began to power up and his power started rising rapidly. It climbed over 20,000 and continuing increasing until Cui's scouter exploded. He recoiled in fear, trying to convince himself this was nothing but a scouter malfunction. Desperate to gain any advantage he could, Cui tried the only thing he could think of. "Oh! Lord Freeza!" Cui exclaimed, causing Vegeta to turn around. _Idiot! He took the bait!_ Cui unleashed a torrent of ki attacks at Vegeta, resulting in a huge explosion. He glanced over at Nappa and proclaimed, "You're next!" Nappa chuckled and replied, "You really think Vegeta would go down that easy?"

Cui glanced over to his side and was horrified to see Vegeta alive and unharmed. He attempted to flee but Vegeta was able to catch up and deal a punishing blow to Cui's abdomen. Before he could even recover, Vegeta used a ki attack that made Cui explode. _So much for that rivalry._ Vegeta flew back down to the ground, knowing he had to think quickly. Freeza and his men would've picked up the battle on their scouters, meaning they would know Vegeta was on the planet now. He and Nappa were stronger than ever, but they still needed to be careful. Freeza was more powerful than even the two of them combined.

While Nappa and Vegeta were making their plans to steal the dragon balls from Freeza, Vegeta picked up Dodoria's ki. He had gotten separated from the group after his pursuit of Gohan and Krillin. And since his scouter had been destroyed, Dodoria had no way to contact Freeza. As he was wandering the planet trying to find his back, Vegeta saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike. He launched a surprise attack on Dodoria, elbowing him in the back and sending him flying to the ground. Dodoria slowly got up, dazed from the attack. When he saw Vegeta standing a few dozen feet away, he recoiled in fear, knowing all too well Vegeta had killed Cui not long ago.

"Vegeta! I should've known you'd turn against Freeza sooner or later. You'll pay for this betrayal!" Dodoria knew he was outmatched and outnumber. Bravado was his only way out. "Ha, and you're a fooling for staying with him, Dodoria. I knew you saw what I did to Cui. What makes you think this will be any different?" Dodoria was quivering in fear, but tried his best to hide it. "No! That scouter was malfunctioning! There's no way you're that strong!" Dodoria raised his hands above his head and let loose a huge energy blast in Vegeta's direction. As Dodoria scanned the smoke cloud for Vegeta's body, the prince appeared behind him. Dodoria swung his arm around to strike Vegeta, but Vegeta was able to catch his arm, spin around and grab Dodoria's other arm, nearly ripping both his arms clean off.

As Dodoria cried out in pain, Vegeta just smirked. Nappa stood by watching, still frustrated that he wasn't strong enough to take on the likes of Dodoria. As Vegeta pressed on Dodoria's arms more, he started to beg. "Wait, Vegeta! If you let me go, I'll tell you the truth about what happened to Planet Vegeta!" Vegeta momentarily loosened his grip, curios what this truth might be. Knowing he still surpassed Dodoria's strength, Vegeta decided to take the bait. "Alright, Dodoria, let's hear it," he said as he let Dodoria's arms go. Dodoria turned around, rubbing his sore arms and delivered on his promise. It turned out that Planet Vegeta, and the Saiyan race, hadn't been wiped out by a collision with a meteor. Freeza was the one who had destroyed the planet!

Though Vegeta was able to keep his composure upon learning this news, Nappa was infuriated. _Just one more reason to hate Freeza. It's time to show him the power of the Saiyans!_ Vegeta could tell Nappa was about to lose it and didn't want him complicating the battle. "Nappa! Don't get involved. I'll finish Dodoria." Dodoria stared at Vegeta with a shocked expression. "But, Vegeta, you said you'd let me go if I told you the truth! And don't forget, you're just as blind as the rest of us without your scouter!" "I gave Cui a lesson before, so I'll give you one too, Dodoria. Not only can I suppress and raise my power at will, I can also sense the energy of others without resorting to gadgets like the scouters. One of several tricks I picked up on Earth."

Though he was unnerved by this news, a revelation suddenly dawned on Dodoria. "Wait a minute, those little runts from earlier must've been earthlings!" For once, Vegeta was the surprised one. "Those earthlings are resourceful. It wouldn't surprise me if they found their way here to Namek. But that doesn't matter. I'll deal with them once I'm done with you!" Dodoria flew off, fleeing for his life but Vegeta launched a powerful ki blast which easily killed Dodoria. Cui and Dodoria were dead. All that remained was Zarbon, Freeza's strongest henchman.

Following the battle, Nappa pleaded with Vegeta to take the battle to Freeza, saying that they had to avenge their race. Although Vegeta had every intention of ultimately killing Freeza, he knew that they couldn't do it without the dragon balls. "Damn it, Nappa! Just think for once. As much as it pains me to admit this, you know Freeza is still too strong for us. We need to gather the dragon balls and wish for immortality. That's our only option." Nappa reluctantly agreed. Vegeta was the strategist of the two of them after all. Vegeta pondered for a moment before coming up with their plan. "I'll try to sense a Namekian village and that should lead me right to a dragon ball. But if what Dodoria said is true and the earthlings are here, then we need to confirm that. You go after the earthlings."

Vegeta hadn't gotten the opportunity to teach Nappa how to sense energy or suppress his energy yet, so the larger Saiyan was still using his scouter. "They'll have to go on the move sooner or later and it should show up on the scouter. You're more than enough to handle them, but don't kill them." Nappa frowned at that. He was still itching to get another chance at killing the earthlings. "They may have a dragon ball or information that we need. Control yourself." With that, Vegeta flew off in hopes of finding a dragon ball. Nappa took off in the other direction, smirking to himself at the thought of getting revenge on the earthlings. Vegeta may have said to not kill them, but the prince didn't say anything about not beating them to a pulp.


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who followed and reviewed this! It's my first ever Fanfic, so forgive me if it's a little rough around the edges. I also apologize for all the typos and mistakes. I have to do a better job proofreading. Anyway, enjoy Chapter 2!

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After a few hours of searching, Vegeta had finally managed to lock on to a Namekian village. He decimated its inhabitants, brutally murdering every single one. Once the village was wiped clean, Vegeta took their dragon ball and smirked to himself. Freeza and his men no had no way to find this village, even if they got new scouters. But just to make sure, Vegeta tossed the dragon ball into a nearby lake, ensuring that even if Freeza's forces did happen upon the dragon ball, they wouldn't be able to find it. Vegeta took off to the skies, searching for Nappa's ki and hoping that the bellicose warrior hadn't ruined their plans.

Back at Freeza's ship, the tyrant was growing restless that Dodoria hadn't returned yet. Both he and Zarbon concluded that he was probably killed by Vegeta. Freeza grew increasingly agitated at these events, which frightened Zarbon. He'd seen firsthand what Freeza does to those who disappoint him. Freeza ordered Zarbon to search for Dodoria as well as Vegeta and Nappa. So Zarbon departed from Freeza's ship, knowing that his life may well depend on his ability to find some answers. Nonetheless, he remained confident he could still defeat Vegeta and Nappa.

While Freeza and Vegeta were making their plans, Gohan and Krillin had made their way back to the cave where they'd left Bulma. She'd erected a fully stocked house that she'd kept stowed away in one of her capsules. Though initially angry at Gohan and Krillin for leaving her alone for hours, Bulma calmed down when they explained just how bleak their current situation was. As everyone sat down and talked, Dende relayed the story of the Namekians to the group, telling of a grand cataclysm that struck the planet and nearly drove their race to extinction. Fortunately for them, the Grand Elder was able to survive. He was wise, powerful and nearly single-handedly responsible for the continued existence of the Namekians. Dende reasoned that the Grand Elder would know what to do in this situation and that his counsel would be greatly helpful.

Krillin figured it would be best to split up, so he told Gohan to stay behind with Bulma while he went off with Dende to meet with the Grand Elder. The home of the Grand Elder was far from their camp, so it would take quite a while to get there. Krillin took Dende and departed on the long journey. Elsewhere on Namek, Vegeta had picked up the ki signature of Zarbon while he was out searching for Dodoria. Cui and Dodoria were already dead and Vegeta had handled them without any issue. He figured Zarbon wouldn't be any different. He didn't back up from Nappa just to handle the likes of Zarbon.

Vegeta confronted Zarbon and the two exchanged a few words. "Well, Zarbon, it's quite a while," said Vegeta. "Yes it has Vegeta. Word of your betrayal has spread quickly, however."

"Oh, is that so? I can't say I give a damn. Let everyone know that I'm no longer Freeza's servant! Vegeta serves no one!"

"You may not consider yourself a servant, but you're still inferior to Freeza, Vegeta. Nothing's changed there."

"Funny you should say that, Zarbon. Dodoria told me something interesting before I killed him." Though Zarbon had expected that might be true, he was still surprised to hear Vegeta be so bold about it. "He told me the truth! That Freeza was the one who destroyed the Saiyans. Because he feared our power!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Vegeta. If Freeza feared anything, it was your entire race rising up. Just you… well, you're not a threat at all on your own."

"Well, Zarbon, I'll show you firsthand just how much of a threat I am!"

With that, Vegeta suddenly vanished, startling Zarbon. Regaining his composure, he noticed Vegeta appear to his side. Zarbon threw a punch, but Vegeta easily caught it. This began a tense battle between the two. Vegeta held a noticeable advantage, but Zarbon managed to put up a much better fight than Cui or Dodoria had. Nonetheless, Vegeta was able to wear Zarbon down, eventually sending him flying to the ground after a powerful kick. While Zarbon got to his feet and brushed himself off, Vegeta landed nearby and smirked. However, Vegeta couldn't help but find it odd that Zarbon was chuckling to himself.

"Well, Vegeta, I won't say I'm not impressed. But if you think your skills have improved enough to defeat me, then you're sadly mistaken." "Oh, are you trying to suggest you're holding back on me?" Vegeta knew that Zarbon, like Cui and Dodoria before him, didn't have the ability to raise and lower his ki at all. There was no way for Zarbon to increase his strength. "That's exactly what I'm saying Vegeta. I don't like to do this unless I have no other choice, so consider it an honor. You've been graced with the beauty so far, so allow me to introduce you to the beast!"

Vegeta's eyes went wide with shock as Zarbon transformed before his very eyes. Zarbon became a bulky, grotesque creature who immediately charged at Vegeta and pelted him with a series of punishing blows. Vegeta barely had time to recover before getting hit again. It wasn't merely that Zarbon's strength and speed had increased. His entire fighting style had changed. While before it was more elegant, now Zarbon had become a pure brute, mercilessly hammering Vegeta with blow after blow. After a complete beatdown, Zarbon sent Vegeta flying to the ground, causing a huge explosion which resulted in a nearby river crashing through and filling in the crater where Vegeta had landed.

Reverting back to his normal form, Zarbon smiled to himself and flew back toward Freeza, confident that he would happy to learn that nuisance of Vegeta had been dealt with. However, Freeza was, to put it mildly, less than happy about the news. He knew all too well that they needed Vegeta alive to question him. As much as he wanted to be rid of Vegeta, they needed him around for now. So Zarbon went back to the site of the battle and found Vegeta, barely alive on the side of the newly formed lake. For once, Zarbon was actually glad Vegeta was such a tough bastard. He took Vegeta back to the ship and ordered Appule to put Vegeta in a healing chamber. As Vegeta slowly regained his strength, he was already making plans. In this game of chess on Namek, it was crucial to stay one step one ahead.

As Vegeta was healing, Krillin and Dende finally arrived at the home of the Grand Elder. They were greeted by a Namekian named Nail, who watched over and protected the Grand Elder. Krillin knew the Namekians were powerful, but even still, he could tell that there was something particularly special about Nail. Krillin was granted the privilege of meeting with the Grand Elder, who thanked him for saving Dende and doing what he could to help his people. As a reward, he bequeathed Krillin his dragon ball. Krillin couldn't help but smile, overjoyed to finally have one dragon ball in their possession. But getting the other six would still prove immensely difficult.

In addition to the dragon ball, the Grand Elder decided to give Krillin another gift. He told Krillin that he sensed a great deal of potential within him and that he had the ability to draw it out. Krillin doubted this, saying he was nearly at his limit as it was. But the Grand Elder placed his hand upon Krillin's head, causing a sudden surge in ki that left Krillin utterly stunned. Amazed at his new power, Krillin exclaimed in pure joy. His power had multiplied several fold; Krillin couldn't believe he even had that much power within him. He thanked the Namekians for all his help and took flight in a hurry, showing off his new speed. Unfortunately for Krillin, flying at such speed used up a lot of ki, which Nappa's scouter immediately picked up on.

After flying around for what felt like days, Nappa had earlier picked up the fight between Vegeta and Zarbon on his scouter. He'd seen Zarbon's power rise to well above Vegeta's so he wasn't sure if Vegeta was even still alive. As much as he wanted to investigate the matter, when he picked up Krillin's energy on his scouter, Nappa couldn't resist. He took off toward Krillin, determined to finally get his revenge on the earthlings. As Nappa closed in on Krillin's location, Krillin was too distracted to even sense Nappa's approach. By the time Krillin realized that Nappa had caught up to him, it was too late.

Krillin debated trying to flee from Nappa but he decided to stand his ground. _It seems like he's even stronger than he was on Earth. But then again…so am I. With my new power, I might be able to win!_ Nappa just grinned at Krillin, who managed to calm himself even as he remembered the horrors of the battle against Nappa on Earth. Chiaotzu, Tien and Piccolo were all dead because of him. Yamcha as well, by proxy. Krillin's resolve grew by the moment. Nappa wasn't the only seeking revenge here. Krillin wanted his own payback. This was not a one-sided dispute. Both Nappa and Krillin wanted this rematch.

"You better hand over that dragon ball if you know what's good for you!" Nappa said as he slowly flew closer to Krillin. "I'm not handing it over so easily! You're gonna have to fight me for it!" Nappa laughed heartily. "Did you already forget what I did to you back on Earth? This time I'll finish the job!" "I'm a lot stronger than I was back then. I'm going to get you back for what you did to my friends!" Although Krillin wanted revenge, he knew making sure the dragon ball was safe was more important than anything else. So before Nappa had the chance to attack, Krillin threw the dragon ball as hard as he could off into the distance. Nappa watched it streak across the sky in shock. "Fine, you'll have to wait!"

Nappa took off after the dragon ball, turning his back to Krillin, who took the opportunity to fire a ki blast at him. Nappa exclaimed in pain, turning around to face Krillin. "So, looks like you really _did_ get stronger, huh? Alright, at least maybe now I can have a little fun with you!" Krillin was still afraid, but at the same time he knew he might actually have a chance this time around. Especially if he could manage to hit Nappa with a Kienzan (Destructo Disc). But Nappa had already seen that technique on Earth and knew to dodge it now. Krillin would have to take him by surprise.

But while Krillin was trying to come up with a strategy, Nappa charged at him. Surprising even himself with his improved reflexes and speed, Krillin managed to dodge. "And you're faster too, huh? Too bad you can't run from me forever!" Nappa's ki was definitely even more fearsome than it was on earth. And Krillin was still getting accustomed to his power. He was definitely at a disadvantage, so he knew he would to rely on his wits to survive the battle. Nappa charged again, this time with increased speed. Krillin didn't have time to dodge. Nappa's elbow plowed into Krillin's abdomen, sending him reeling backward.

Nappa moved forward for another strike, but Krillin managed to recover. He landed a clean hit on Nappa's face, kicking him off to the side. Krillin quickly moved around to Nappa's back and hit him with a quick combination of punches before finishing off with another kick, sending Nappa reeling. But Nappa recovered quickly and turned around to face Krillin. His expression was growing increasingly frustrated. "I don't know how you got so much stronger, but you're still not on my level! I'm gonna get you earthlings back for crippling me!" Nappa was never a brilliant strategist and most of his battles consisted of head on charges without much forethought. His fight with Krillin was no different.

Krillin dodged this particular charge, but Nappa was able to grab hold of Krillin's leg. Cursing to himself that he was careless, Krillin felt his whole get pulled toward Nappa. The Saiyan had a firm grip on Krillin's leg and was not about to let him go. He hit Krillin with several potent blows to his torso, causing Krillin to cry out in pain. Krillin was finally able to break free by blasting Nappa in the face with a ki blast while he was distracted. Bleeding and with a broken rib or two, Krillin wasn't in good shape. But while Nappa was still recovering from that ki blast, Krillin knew this was his opportunity. He charged up a Kienzan and prepared to fire.

As Nappa regained his bearings, he heard the whirring sound of the Kienzan disc hurtling toward him. A flashback to earth played in his mind and Nappa was almost tempted to take the disc head-on, just to prove that he could. But he changed his mind at the last second, dodging the disc. Krillin cursed to himself that he'd wasted his opportunity. A short distance away, the Grand Elder and Nail sensed the battle occurring between Nappa and Krillin. Nail could sense the evil ki of Nappa and knew that if he won, Nappa would soon come after the Grand Elder. And after everything Krillin had done for them, Nail knew he had to repay the favor.

After his Kienzan had failed, Krillin decided to try a different approach. It seemed to him that while Nappa still had the advantage in raw strength and resilience, Krillin was faster and more agile. He had to use that to his advantage. He let Nappa chase after him, exhausting his ki as he tried to keep up with Krillin. Once Nappa was out of breath, Krillin suddenly stopped and went on the offensive, hitting Nappa with a series of quick blows. He retreated before Nappa had the chance to recover. Krillin had to keep his distance from Nappa. He couldn't afford to let the Saiyan get too close to him. So he repeated that strategy a few more times, dealing little bits of damage when he could. Krillin felt confident he could win a battle of attrition. But it would take quite a long time to wear down someone as resilient as Nappa.

While it seemed as though Krillin had momentarily gained the advantage, Nappa actually managed to keep his composure. He'd learned his lesson on Earth, and through multiple scoldings from Vegeta. He need to learn to stay calm in a fight. So although he was immensely frustrated a tiny earthling was getting the best of him, Nappa figured it was time for _him_ to strategize. So he allowed Krillin to land a few strong blows on him and Nappa exaggerated how badly it damaged him. Krillin saw this as an opportunity and started to charge up his Kienzan. _Perfect! He fell for it!_ While Krillin was busy charging his attack, Nappa quickly lunged forward and grabbed Krillin. Cursing this turn of events, Krillin was completely helpless.

Nappa rained down a merciless series of attacks on Krillin before sending him flying to the ground in a crumpled heap. Nappa landed a short distance away, panting, sweating and bleeding. "Well I gotta hand it to you. You put up a hell of a fight! Hell, you might've made a good Saiyan even. But too bad for you that you pissed off the wrong guy!" Nappa walked off toward Krillin, who couldn't even stand. Krillin coughed, blood spewing forth along with saliva. This was the second time he'd been rendered completely useless by Nappa. As Krillin closed his eyes and prepared for Nappa to deliver the finishing blow, he was surprised that it never came. Krillin opened his eyes and saw Nappa scanning the skies for something. His scouter was going crazy. A massive power level was headed their way.

Faster than Krillin could even see, Nappa was completely disabled and he crashed to the ground, completely unconscious, maybe even dead. Nail stood above him. _I figured this guy was strong but that's unbelievable. I couldn't even see his movements at all._ Nail picked up Krillin and flew him back to the Grand Elder's. After Nail had left to help Krillin, the Grand Elder unlocked Dende's potential as well, making him stronger as well as giving him the ability to heal others. When Nail and Krillin arrived back at the Grand Elder's, Dende healed Krillin and brought him back to full strength. Krillin thanked them for all their help and apologized for losing their dragon ball. Krillin knew Nail needed to stay and protect the Grand Elder, so he knew it was up to him to go find that Dragon Ball he had to discard.

Krillin said his goodbyes to Dende, Nail and the Grand Elder and flew off back toward Bulma to get the Dragon Radar. Krillin thought about suppressing his ki and flying more slowly this time around so no one else would be able to pick up his energy, but he needed to get back to Bulma as soon as possible, so he figured it was worth the risk. He thought about stopping to check if Nappa was alive or dead, but he didn't have time for that. Either way, the Saiyan was incapacitated and wouldn't be bothering them again any time soon. Nappa's eyes opened just in time to see Krillin fly across the sky overhead. Nappa's body had been broken once again, but oddly enough, he was almost happy about it. As a Saiyan, he hungered for challenge and Krillin had just become his new rival. And besides, once he healed from these injuries, Nappa would be stronger than ever.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thanks very much for the helpful critique, Arthur101SueEllen! You're right, I need to go deeper into Nappa's character. And as for the the story being very similar to the original timeline, I was kind of planning for things to start out almost exactly the same and then diverge little by little until things _really_ start to get different. Anyway, here's chapter 3!

* * *

As Vegeta was healing, Freeza and Zarbon were engaged in a tense conversation. Freeza had decided it was time to bring in the Ginyu Force, his elite fighting squad. Zarbon protested, claiming he could still handle things. But before the two could continue their conversation, they felt the force of an explosion ricochet through the ship. A henchman rushed in to tell Freeza that Vegeta had escaped! In frustration, Freeza killed the henchman and ordered Zarbon to go find Vegeta. However, they didn't realize that Vegeta was actually still in the ship. He managed to trick both Zarbon and Freeza as he blasted a hole in Freeza's ship and threw all five of the dragon balls there off into the distance. Then Vegeta evaded detection by descending into the nearby water, suppressing his power as he swam to the distant shore.

Vegeta surfaced on the other side of the lake and was pleased to see all the dragon balls were in close proximity. Confident that they were both safe and far enough away from Freeza, Vegeta contemplated his next move. He hadn't expected to lose to Zarbon so now he was separated from Nappa. _Damn it, I can't even sense Nappa's energy. Did he go off and get himself killed somehow? Wait… no, I can sense something now._ Vegeta picked up the energy of Krillin, who was desperately rushing back toward Bulma and Gohan. Vegeta took chase after Krillin, but this also alerted the attention of Zarbon who in turn flew after Vegeta.

Meanwhile, Gohan had picked up a not too distant dragon ball on the dragon radar, so he flew off to go investigate. As it turned out, Gohan found the dragon ball that Vegeta had hid. He grabbed the dragon ball and began his journey back but unbeknownst to Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta and Zarbon were all heading that way too. As Krillin landed, he immediately demanded that Bulma give him the dragon radar. But she said that Gohan was using it to find another dragon ball. Krillin cursed his luck, but the situation got even worse in just a few short moments. Vegeta landed, followed shortly after by Zarbon. Krillin's power-up from the Grand Elder had been enough to allow him to put up a fight against Nappa, but Vegeta was still well out of his league.

Fortunately for Krillin, Vegeta and Zarbon had more of a quarrel with each other than they did with him. They engaged in a fierce battle, eventually pushing Zarbon to once again transform. But Vegeta had become stronger after healing once again and could now fight evenly with Zarbon, even in his transformed state. After exchanging blows for a while longer, Vegeta gained the advantage and hammered Zarbon with a punch so powerful, it pierced through his armor and straight through his skin as well. Zarbon pleaded for his life, but Vegeta was not in a merciful mood. He blasted Zarbon into a nearby lake, killing him.

Now that Zarbon had been dealt with, Vegeta turned around to face Krillin. "Well, I have to say. I'm almost impressed that you did make it here all the way from earth. Now tell me, are you hiding any dragon balls around here?" Krillin moved in front of Bulma to protect her even as he knew he was completely out-matched by Vegeta. "Don't think you can something from me, Earthling trash! If you have anything valuable around here, I'll find it!" Vegeta used his immense speed to easily knock Krillin aside. He'd intended to knock Krillin unconscious, but he hadn't accounted for Krillin's rise in strength. "Well how about that? You've gotten a lot stronger too. Tell me, is Kakarot here? Or his half-breed son?" Krillin debated even answering at all, but he figured telling the truth might be his only option. "No, Goku's not here. His son is. Goku is on his way here right now though!" "Oh, is that so? Well I look forward to having a little rematch with him."

While Vegeta and Krillin were talking, they both sensed another energy signal approaching them. "Hmmm, this must be the son of Kakarot. That just means I can deal with both of you at the same time." Vegeta was smart enough to suppress his energy so that Gohan didn't detect him until it was too late. And once Vegeta saw that Gohan was carrying a dragon ball in his hands, he didn't waste any time in dispatching Gohan with a single blow. But Vegeta didn't pay any mind to the dragon radar that Gohan dropped when he hit the boy. Krillin took note of its location just a few feet away. Gohan lay on the ground, bloodied and bruised as Vegeta stood over him with the dragon ball. "I do appreciate this, you little brat. But I'm not going to kill you today. After all, you do have Saiyan blood in you. But consider this a warning to your father. We are going to have our rematch and this time will be much, much different. Oh, and another thing. Have either of you seen Nappa?

Krillin gulped as beads of sweat poured down his forehead. "Why no nervous, little man? You've seen him, haven't you?" Vegeta picked up Krillin by the shirt collar and said, "Where is he?! You're stronger than you were on Earth but I still don't think you could defeat him. What happened?!" Vegeta punched Krillin hard in the gut, which winded him. Once Krillin regained his breath, he told Vegeta that a powerful Namekian warrior had defeated Nappa. Vegeta had been in a relatively good mood up to this point, but the news of the death of his comrade infuriated him. "You're going to take me to where you left Nappa, understand? And if he's dead, then you'll be joining him soon enough." "Fine, but Gohan comes too," Krillin replied. Vegeta agreed, so the three of them flew off together toward the site of Nappa and Krillin's battle. Vegeta didn't notice as Krillin surreptitiously grabbed the dragon radar.

Krillin knew the only chance they had was to have the Grand Elder unlock Gohan's hidden power too. With all the potential that Gohan had, if he got powered up then maybe he and Krillin could actually stand up to Vegeta and Nappa. After flying for a bit, the trio came to the spot where Nappa was crawling along the ground, refusing to give up. Vegeta spotted Nappa and flew down to the ground in a hurry. Krillin told Gohan to keep flying straight ahead and meet with the Grand Elder and then go after the dragon ball he'd been forced to discard earlier. He handed Gohan the dragon radar and said he would hold off Vegeta if he had too. Gohan reluctantly agreed and flew toward the Grand Elder's as quickly as he could. Krillin descended to the ground to see a familiar scene: a broken, crippled Nappa with a scowling, infuriated Vegeta standing over him.

"Damn it, Nappa. We're supposed to be proud warriors and yet… over and over again we keep finding ourselves battered and broken," Vegeta said as he stood over Nappa. He had no way to heal his fellow Saiyan. He wouldn't be able to get him back to Freeza's ship and that would be the only to heal Nappa without leaving the planet. "But we just keep getting stronger. We're still gonna get Freeza back for what he did to the Saiyans!" Nappa said as he tried in vain to get back on his feet. Nappa wasn't in quite as bad shape as he had been on Earth after Goku used the Kaioken on him but he still couldn't even walk. Vegeta didn't think he would die from his current injuries, but he was useless in a battle. Nappa could do little but lie on the ground and contemplate his own futility.

 _Damn it. Crippled again. I keep failing Prince Vegeta like this. And I'm failing the memory and pride of the Saiyans. We're a warrior race! I'm not gonna let Freeza get away with what he did to our people!_ In an impressive display of willpower, Nappa did finally manage to at least sit up, even if he still lacked the strength to fully stand. Once again, Krillin couldn't help but admire Nappa's sheer tenacity. "And don't think I don't see you over there! You and I still gotta have our rematch." Krillin didn't like the sound of that, but at least he'd already proven that he could compete with Nappa. Maybe if they did have a rematch, Krillin could actually win. But as Krillin mulled that scenario, he felt a sudden spike in power from the direction of the Grand Elder's home. _Alright! Gohan got powered up. Now we really might have a chance._

Vegeta turned around and interrogated Krillin. "Who's power is that? That couldn't be Kakarot's brat, could it. You humans really are full of surprises. Too bad you're still not on my level." Krillin could sense Gohan's energy getting more distant. _Good, he must be looking for the dragon ball. Come on, Gohan, you better find it fast!_ "Hmmm, he's pretty fast isn't he? How long do you think it would take me to catch up?" Vegeta asked as he began to fly toward Gohan. Krillin panicked, knowing there was no way he could catch up to Vegeta, especially since Vegeta had gotten a head start on him. But Vegeta had barely covered any distance before Gohan starting coming toward him from the other direction. _Did he find it? And where's the dragon radar? Maybe Gohan hid both of them. He's a smart kid._

Vegeta chuckled to himself. "So what's your plan? Have both of you gang up on me? You are both quite a lot stronger, I'll give you that much. But to suggest you're on _my_ level, well, I'll show you just how wrong you are." Krillin steeled himself for a potential battle with Vegeta, hoping that he and Gohan would be up to the task now. But before they could come to blows, all three picked up five distinct energy signals hurtling toward Namek. One didn't seem like anything special, but three of the powers were incredibly strong and the fifth… the fifth was on a completely different level, one far above even Vegeta. Speaking of whom, Krillin had never seen the Saiyan prince with such unease in his eyes.

"One, two, three, four, five," Vegeta counted the energy signals to himself. "So, Freeza decided to bring in the Ginyu Force. Damn it!" Vegeta turned toward Krillin with a desperate look on his face. "These are Freeza's elite fighters. When everyone else fails, that's when Freeza calls them in. And the Ginyus _never_ fail. We need to gather the dragon balls! It's our only chance!" Krillin was not about to align himself with Vegeta, especially considering the agonizing battle he'd just had with Nappa not too long ago. _But then again… do I even have a choice here? If these guys are as tough as Vegeta says, then we're gonna need his help._ "Fine," Krillin finally said, albeit very reluctantly. He could sense Gohan was on his way back as well. He must've found the last dragon ball.

Gohan landed with the dragon ball and Krillin explained the situation to him. Much like Krillin, Gohan didn't want to work with Vegeta, but they were out of options. "Now, hold on a minute here!" Nappa interjected. "You three are gonna need all the help you can get! You need me on your side too!" Krillin detested the idea of working with Nappa even more than Vegeta. At least Vegeta seemed to have some kind of honor, a byproduct of his pride. Krillin wasn't sure if Nappa had any such code or if he was nothing more than a brutal savage. "No way! I'm not working with him. He almost killed me a few hours ago." Vegeta grew increasingly frustrated by all this arguing. "You wouldn't do us any damn good as it is, Nappa. Just stay here and stay out of sight. If we somehow manage to survive against the Ginyus, we'll come back for you."

It dawned on Krillin that Vegeta said "if" they survived. If someone as delusionally confident as Vegeta wasn't sure that they could win, maybe they really would need Nappa's help. As the trio prepared to depart, Krillin silently cursed to himself as he said, "Wait! There is a way to heal Nappa. The Namekian, Dende… he has healing powers." Ordinarily, Vegeta would express his rage at Krillin for withholding this information by hitting him, but they simply didn't have time for that. The trio flew the short distance back to the Grand Elder's and pleaded with Dende to heal Nappa. The young Namekian refused, saying the Saiyan's intentions were far from pure. But the Grand Elder decided to interject and said to Dende, "My child, I know this is an awful choice. But I fear we have no other options. There is a great evil here on our planet. And if we want to save what we have struggled for so long to rebuild, then we will need the aid of that Saiyan."

Dende was still apprehensive but he wasn't about to disobey the venerable Grand Elder. He healed Nappa, whose brush with death resulted him gaining another Zenkai boost, pushing his power level up to an even higher level. Nappa tested his new power by launching a ki blast off into the distance and smiled when he saw just how large the explosion was. Dende looked horrified at having to watch more destruction on his planet. And he helped enable that destruction by healing the Saiyan. "Thanks, runt!" Nappa said as he kicked Dende off to the side. Krillin and Gohan both shot him dirty looks, but Vegeta reminded them all that they needed to get moving. The four warriors flew toward Vegeta's five dragon balls that he'd stolen from Freeza earlier. With the aid of a freshly healed Nappa as well as Gohan and Krillin, Vegeta began to think that maybe they'd actually have a chance against the Ginyus, who had already landed on Namek and delivered new, updated scouters to Freeza. The five powerful warriors used their scouters to lock on to the energy signal of Vegeta and the others and flew off to intercept them.

While Vegeta and Nappa set the pace, Krillin intentionally lagged a little behind. He whispered to Gohan, "Listen, Gohan, you know we can't trust either of these guys. When the time comes, we might have to fight them. Or run for our lives. I just want you to be ready." Gohan nodded in affirmation and soon after they had arrived at Vegeta's quintet of dragon balls. But barely a moment after they'd landed, all five members of the Ginyu Force touched down as well. Vegeta cursed their luck; he'd missed out on immortality by a matter of seconds. Captain Ginyu, the leader of the squad, smiled condescendingly at Vegeta as he said, "Honestly Vegeta, we're impressed by your little coup. You've managed to cause Lord Freeza quite a bit of stress. And you even scrounged up a few allies as well. It's not often Freeza has to call us in like this. But your little rebellion has come to an end now. Hand over the two other dragon balls now."

Vegeta was not about to let the Ginyus win so easily so he threw his dragon ball as hard as he could, but Burter, the tall, blue member of the squad, used his incredible speed to easily catch up to and retrieve the dragon ball. Vegeta could barely even track his movements. But Krillin still held a dragon ball in his hands, meaning the Ginyus didn't quite have all of them yet. Vegeta yelled to Krillin and told him to destroy the dragon ball. Krillin hesitated so Nappa rushed over and grabbed the dragon ball from him and was about to crush between his hands but all of a sudden, the dragon ball vanished and was in Guldo's hands. The Ginyus all chuckled to themselves, clearly reveling in Vegeta's failure. Captain Ginyu used his telekinesis to lift all seven dragon balls and take them back to Freeza. He was confident that the others could easily handle the likes of Vegeta and his allies. Nappa was still perplexed by how Guldo had managed to get the best of him and wanted to prove it had been nothing more than a fluke. As the remaining Ginyu Force members debated among themselves on who should fight first, Nappa stepped forward and pointed at Guldo. "You don't have to decide a thing. I'm fighting Guldo!" Guldo was by far the weakest of the Ginyu Force but had a few special abilities that earned him his spot on the squad. "Alright, I'll go first! But I won't go easy on any of you" Guldo said he stepped forward. "Don't you worry about them, little green man. I'm the only one you're gonna fight," Napa said while he cracked his knuckles. Guldo laughed at the idea of fighting just Nappa, but he had no idea that Nappa had gotten two Zenkai boosts and was much, much stronger than the last time Guldo saw him. Nappa was tired of people getting the drop on him. Kakarot back on Earth, Krillin on Namek, that powerful Namekian and now Guldo. It was time to remind everyone just how fearsome the mighty Nappa could be.


	5. Chapter 4

As Nappa prepared to face off against Guldo, he began to remember tales he'd heard of Guldo's special abilities. He knew he had to be careful. He couldn't just use his usual strategy of a head on charge and rely on brute force. _Heh, I guess those earthlings might've taught me a thing or two after all. Gotta use my head in this fight. I gotta fight like they do._ Nappa started powering up, which drew the attention of Burter and Jeice. They read Nappa's power level at 20,000, which was far higher than he'd ever been before. "Would you like at that? Nappa's really powered up. Guldo might have a little trouble here," Jeice observed. "Nappa might be stronger but he's still not the smartest fighter out there. Guldo should be able to handle him," Burter replied. As he finished powering up, Nappa could see the fear on Guldo's face. He wasn't expecting this level of power. _I gotta finish him off fast. Can't let this fight drag on and let him use his tricks._

Nappa charged at Guldo and Vegeta silently cursed to himself. _Nappa you idiot! That's not going to work against Guldo!_ But just as Nappa drew close enough that Guldo was about to use his time stopping ability, Nappa reared back and punched the ground as hard as could. The ground shook as it crumbled apart and it threw Guldo off balance. Before he could regain his composure and concentrate on his technique, Nappa was directly in front of him. Guldo had to hold his breath while using his time freeze ability, so he took a deep breath in preparation to activate it, but Nappa was too fast. The Saiyan landed an overwhelming punch straight to Guldo's gut, sending him flying off into the distance until he finally slowed down and crashed to the ground. He was dead. Nappa stood proudly, staring down the other members of the Ginyu Force. Even though Jeice, Burter and Reacoome were all _much_ stronger than Guldo, the nature of that fight unnerved them. It wasn't just that Nappa had gotten so much stronger. His entire temperament and fighting style had changed too.

The remaining Ginyu Force members discussed their next course of action among themselves, ultimately deciding that Reacoome would be the next to fight. Meanwhile, Nappa and the others were also discussing what to do next. "Well done, Nappa. You actually ended things quickly for once," Vegeta said. Nappa smirked and replied, "I was just tired of getting my ass kicked. And I'm sick of all of Freeza's lapdogs underestimating us Saiyans!" While Vegeta mostly had pride in _himself,_ Nappa's pride was more about the Saiyan race as a whole. Or, at least, what remained of their race. Vegeta couldn't help but admire the pride Nappa had for their Saiyans. He began to believe more than ever how important it was to avenge their race. While before Vegeta had wanted revenge because he'd been forced to spend his life under Freeza's thumb, doing his every whim... now, his motivations had begun to shift thanks to Nappa. At any rate, they had more a more pressing concern at the moment. Namely, who was going to fight Reacoome?

"I'll handle Reacoome," Vegeta said as he stepped forward. "But we can fight him together, Vegeta!" Nappa protested. "No! I'll fight Reacoome alone. Besides, I have a plan if this fight doesn't go well. And it requires you to be at full strength, Nappa. And you two," Vegeta said as he addressed Gohan and Krillin. "You'll know what to do." Krillin and Gohan looked at each other, confused about what Vegeta's plan might be. But before they could ask, Vegeta began to power up as he was surrounded by a massive, swirling aura. "Remember, Nappa, don't interfere unless I tell you too!" With that, Vegeta flew toward Reacoome as quickly as he could. Jeice and Burter noted that Vegeta's battle power was just shy of 30,000. Vegeta hit Reacoome with a vicious flurry of attacks, ultimately throwing him into a nearby mountain and firing a powerful ki blast that resulted in a massive explosion. Vegeta scanned the horizon, looking for any sign of Reacoome. But just as he feared, Reacoome appeared unharmed as the smoke cloud cleared. Vegeta began to think he'd have to use his backup plan after all, but he'd been planning to save it as a last resort. As Vegeta was thinking over his options, Reacoome went on the offensive and pummeled Vegeta with a series of powerful blows.

Nappa stood by watching as the prince was brutalized by Reacoome. Vegeta continued to try everything he could to put up a good fight, but it seemed like nothing did any lasting damage to Reacoome. He took everything Vegeta threw at him with no issue. Eventually, Vegeta stood exhausted, barely able to stand as Reacoome declared it was time to finish the fight. Vegeta knew he was finally at the point of no return. He charged up a sparkling ball of ki in his hand, which piqued Reacoome's interest. "You just don't quit, do you, Vegeta? Is this your secret technique? Alright, let's see it!" Vegeta smirked to himself and looked over in Nappa's direction. Nappa smirked back but was a little fearful at the same time. "This will be the last time you underestimate the Saiyans. You've all been too busy gloating to notice that Nappa still has tail!" Vegeta said as he threw the ball of ki into the sky, where it exploded in a blinding burst of light. None of the Ginyu Force members except the Captain were aware that Saiyans could create artificial moons, so they were more confused by this than anything. But when they saw Nappa start to transform into Oozaru form, they realized their mistake. Reacoome panicked and rushed over to stop Nappa before he could fully transform.

But before Reacoome could reach Nappa, he caught the sight of a whirling disc of energy hurtling toward him. But it was too late to dodge completely. The Kienzan that Krillin had fired sliced across Reacoome's abdomen, leaving him with a deep cut that started to bleed profusely. Reacoome crashed to the ground, clutching his wound as he saw Nappa reach the full, terrifying height of an Oozaru. Vegeta knew that this was a gamble. Nappa had never fully learned to control himself in Oozaru form, but he'd seen the way Nappa had started to mellow out a little. He hoped that Nappa wouldn't go on a complete rampage. All he needed to do was just aim his attacks at the Ginyus. It was the same kind of gambit that Goku had used on Earth against him when Goku told Gohan to look at the moon and become an Oozaru. Now Vegeta was using the strategy for his own benefit. Nappa, towering above Reacoome, pounded his chest and let out a deafening roar. Nappa picked up his foot and squashed Reacoome beneath it, killing him. Now only two Ginyus remained.

Burter and Jeice watched the scene unfold in horror. Their scouters read Nappa's power level at 160,000 now. His strength had multiplied tenfold! "Jeice, what do we do? We have to go get the Captain!" "He's even stronger than the Captain now. We gotta go get Freeza!" Nappa turned his attention to Burter and Jeice, who were prepared to flee and go seek the help of Captain Ginyu and Freeza. But Nappa released a powerful blast from his mouth right in their direction. With his superior speed, Burter managed to dodge the blast, but Jeice wasn't so lucky and ended up severely wounded. Nappa continued firing blast after blast at Burter, who managed to avoid all of them. Vegeta saw Jeice, still clinging to life, trying to get away. But Krillin and Gohan stood in his way, preventing him from going anywhere. Krillin put his foot on Jeice's back, causing him to cry out in pain. "You're not going anywhere!" Krillin exclaimed. He contemplated killing Jeice but he could hear Goku's voice echoing in his head, telling him that he should spare Jeice, so Krillin reluctantly allowed Jeice to live.

Speaking of Goku, it was about this time that he finally made landfall on the planet Namek. He'd taken a ship modeled after the Saiyan space pods and improved upon by Dr. Brief that took him only six days to arrive on Namek. While en route, he'd trained in gravity 100 times that of earth's, resulting in a massive increase in power. As Goku stepped outside his ship, he scanned the planet's energy signals for any signs of Gohan and Krillin. With the overwhelming powers of Captain Ginyu, Nappa and especially Freeza, Goku couldn't quite pinpoint Gohan and Krillin. After concentrating for a moment, Goku finally locked on to their energies. But one of those huge powers was right near them. Were they attempting to fight this massive threat? Goku activated the Kaioken and flew off toward the battle as quickly as he could. Back at the battlefield, everyone had been distracted by the sight of Goku's ship arriving in the distance. Burter took the opportunity to flee the battle as quickly as he could, flying off to go get Captain Ginyu. Nappa fired a blast into the sky, but Burter managed to dodge it. In frustration, Nappa unleashed another blast, this time in Jeice's direction. Krillin and Gohan barely managed to dodge the brunt of the blast but the shockwave of it was still enough to heavily injure both of them, sending them flying off into the distance.

Goku saw this unfold as he raced toward the battlefield. Seeing his son and best friend get caught in the blast radius caused Goku to stop and look in pure shock. But that shock quickly turned to rage as he turned his gaze toward Nappa. Vegeta had feared that Nappa may lose his self control (what little he had anyway) when he transformed into an Oozaru and that's exactly what had happened. _But even if Kakarot wants revenge now, there's no way to he can defeat Nappa in his Oozaru form!_ Still, Vegeta knew that he'd need every ally he could get against Freeza and it was up to him to keep this fragile alliance together right now. Goku turned toward Vegeta and said, "You know, I thought you two guys might change your ways. But it looks like you're never gonna learn!" Goku prepared to engage Nappa in battle before Vegeta said, "Kakarot, we had no choice! The Oozaru form was our only chance of victory against a bigger threat! You did the same damn thing on Earth. Don't you dare judge me, Kakarot!" This caused Goku some pause. Vegeta had a point. But before Goku could decide if he believed Vegeta, Nappa fired a breath beam at him, which Goku barely managed to dodge. _His power is unbelievable in this form! I gotta use the Kaioken!_

Using the Kaioken, Goku was able to eclipse Nappa in speed and easily dodged all his attacks. However, Nappa's strength and durability still made him a terrifying opponent. Goku remembered just how resilient Nappa was from their battle on Earth and now that durability was increased even further in Oozaru form. None of Goku's attacks were doing any lasting damage to him. Gohan and Krillin were barely holding on, so Goku knew he had to end this battle quickly. "Nappa! Come to your sense, damn it! We're supposed to be fighting Freeza!" Vegeta screamed at his comrade. This momentarily got through to Nappa, who stopped and tried to regain his composure. Goku took this opportunity to charge up a Kaioken x 3 and hit Nappa with a flurry of quick attacks, staggering him and sending him flying back. Marveling once again at Nappa's endurance, Goku decided enough was enough. He called out "Kaioken x 4!" and finally took down Nappa with a powerful strike to his abdomen. Nappa crashed to the ground with a thundering boom. Now unconscious, he reverted back to his normal form.

Content that the battle was over, Goku rushed over to Gohan and Krillin. He split one of his two remaining Senzu beans and gave a piece to each. They both popped back up, their injuries fully healed. Vegeta wanted to check on Nappa, but he was too battered from his battle with Reacoome. _Maybe I should've just had Nappa use the Oozaru form from the beginning. We could've avoided all this. Then again, after Nappa and I heal, we'll both become even stronger!_ While was Vegeta was plotting his next course of action, Goku had read Krillin's mind to catch up on the events on Namek so far. "So, Vegeta was telling the truth... he really didn't have a choice," Goku said. "But Goku, he almost killed us!" Krillin replied. Goku sighed heavily before saying," I'm sorry Krillin. But I gotta do this." Goku broke his last remaining Senzu in two and tossed one half toward Vegeta. After eating the Senzu, Vegeta felt his body swell his new power while his injuries healed. He wasn't sure why Goku continued to spare him and help him. And Nappa too, for that matter. Did he respect his fellow Saiyans? Or was Kakarot honestly that naive and kind-hearted? At any rate, Vegeta decided to repay this gesture of good will. He fired a ki blast at the sky and dispelled the artificial moon. "Vegeta... thank you. Maybe you two can learn after all." Vegeta just scoffed at Goku's gratitude and spit at the ground. "I didn't do it as a favor to you, Kakarot. Nappa was dangerous. But we're going to need his help."

Goku giving a Senzu to Vegeta was enough to exasperate Krillin, but when Goku flew over to give one to Nappa as well, Krillin had had enough. "Goku! You can't be serious. This guy's tried to kill me three times now! He almost killed your son. Doesn't that matter to you?!" Even Gohan, a natural pacifist, thought that Goku might be going too far with his mercy. Goku turned to face his friend and son, thinking over what Krillin had said. But then he felt Nappa's hand on his ankle, causing Krillin to yell out, "You see, Goku! You can't trust this guy!" Goku looked down at Nappa, lamenting the pained expression on the Saiyan's face. This was the second time he'd had to do this to Nappa. Goku beganto wonder if he'd made a terrible mistake in sparing Vegeta and Nappa in the first place. Just as Goku started to think he might have no choice but to kill Nappa, the Saiyan said something that completely shocked everyone there.

"Kakarot...

I'm sorry."


	6. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Welp, it's been a while since I've updated this story. Sorry about that. Had a bad case of writer's block, but I'm back now!_

* * *

Goku looked down at Nappa, those two words still echoing through his mind. " _I'm sorry." Didn't think I was ever gonna hear this guy say something like that._ Nappa's eyes showed a genuine remorse that let Goku know that he was sincere. "I... I messed this up. I lost control of myself and look at what happens. More Saiyans fighting each other. We gotta pull together on this!" Nappa reached out his hand and after a moment of contemplation, Goku took it and helped Nappa sit up. He gave him the last remaining piece of a Senzu bean, which Nappa quickly ate, granting him yet another Zenkai boost from healing. Nappa smirked at the feeling of new power surging through him. Turning to face Goku, Nappa put his hand on Goku's shoulder. "I'm not saying this makes us friends, Kakarot, but you're a Saiyan and I respect you. We gotta work together!" Goku smiled and replied, "To be honest, I still ain't sure why you and Vegeta have all this 'Saiyan pride' but I respect you as a fighter, Nappa." Goku put his hand on Nappa's shoulder and the two shared a moment of mutual respect.

But Vegeta still wasn't a fan of such mawkish sentimentality. "I hate to break up this precious little moment here, but we've got bigger things to worry about. Namely, Burter is about to come back here with Ginyu, maybe even Freeza too." "Is this Freeza guy really _that_ powerful, Vegeta?" Goku asked with an almost excited tone of voice. "Yes. He's more powerful than you can imagine. We're all stronger than ever and Nappa still has his tail, but... I still don't know if it would be enough" "Wow, that's incredible! Freeza is really something else. I gotta be honest, the challenge kinda excites me!" Nappa smirked at Goku's remark. "You see, Kakarot, _that's_ what Saiyan pride is all about. Relishing the challenge and enjoying being a warrior!" Krillin was a bit anxious being in the presence of all these Saiyans, but he figured this was as good a time as any to speak up. "Hey, um, guys, I can't be the only who noticed all these big power levels on the move, can I?" After Krillin mentioned that, Goku and Vegeta quickly picked up on the rapidly moving energy signals. "Wait a minute," Vegeta pondered, "the strongest one is Freeza, obviously, and he's moving away from here. There are two coming toward us. That must be Ginyu and Burter." "That means no one is guarding Freeza's ship!" Goku interjected. "Gohan, Krillin, you guys take the dragon radar and head back to the ship. Me, Vegeta and Nappa are gonna handle this."

"I don't think so, Kakarot," Vegeta objected. "Like Nappa said, we might be working together but that doesn't mean we're friends. I'm not letting those two little runts go off by themselves. Nappa, you go and keep an eye on them. I'll stay and fight with Kakarot." Nappa, always dutiful to the Saiyan prince, nodded in acknowledgement, but Krillin wasn't happy about this arrangement. _Maybe this guy can change his ways but what that doesn't take away how many times he's almost killed me._ "Goku, are you kidding me?! This guy's almost killed me three times! And now you want me to team up with him? You want him around your _son?!"_ "Krillin, I'm sorry," Goku replied with sorrow in his voice, "but we ain't got a choice. We all gotta do things we don't like here." Krillin clenched his fists and looked up at the sky before finally sighing and reluctantly stating, "Fine, Goku, but if anything happens to me or Gohan, it's on you!" At this point, Nappa felt obliged to step in. "Listen runt, you're not a Saiyan but you're still a strong fighter! And you're scrappy too. I like that. And I need your help just as much as you need mine. So don't you worry. I'm not gonna hurt you or the kid." Krillin wasn't sure if he believed Nappa or not but decided to align with him for the time being.

So Krillin, Gohan and Nappa flew off toward Freeza's ship shortly before Captain Ginyu and Burter landed. Ginyu looked around the battlefield, barely able to suppress his rage as he saw the dead bodies of Guldo, Reacoome and Jeice. "Where's Nappa?!" Ginyu exclaimed. He wanted revenge on the Saiyan who did this to his men. "He's off taking care of some important business. So you'll just to make due with us," Vegeta replied with his trademark smirk. "Oh is that all? Just you two? Then I'll be quick. Burter, stay out of this. I'll handle these two on my own." Ginyu quickly rushed at Vegeta, taking him by surprise. The Saiyan prince barely had time to dodge Ginyu's first charge, but the second attack from the Captain connected with Vegeta, sending him hurtling off into the distance. Goku took this opportunity to attack Ginyu, but the Captain saw his attack coming and managed to dodge. Goku and Ginyu exchanged a few blows back and forth, flying around with blinding speed. Meanwhile, Vegeta got back on his feet and rejoined the fray. Ginyu fired a ki blast at Vegeta, but the prince managed to dodge. Goku was then able to land a powerful punch to Ginyu's abdomen. While he was still reeling, Vegeta flew above the captain and reared back his fists in preparation to strike. Vegeta's attack sent Ginyu hurtling to the ground where he crashed with enough force to make a large crater.

"Wow, not bad, Vegeta! We make a pretty good team!' Goku said, smiling. "We're not a team, Kakarot! This is merely a temporary alliance. And besides, Ginyu can take a whole lot more punishment than that." Ginyu slowly got to his feet and wiped a bit of blood from his mouth. He couldn't believe that two Saiyans, even working together, could possibly be so strong. But he was still confident that he could win. Ginyu flew up to Goku and Vegeta's level and said, "Well, I do have to admit, you two are truly something. Two Saiyans with power levels well over 60,000. Never thought I'd see the day. But still, you're not the Saiyan I'm after so I'm going to have to end this quickly. You see, you're not the only two who know how to suppress your powers." Ginyu laughed at the shocked expressions on Vegeta and Goku's faces. He began to power up and his power level steadily rose. "I knew he was powerful, but I never thought he was _this_ strong!" Vegeta said while Goku began to think he'd have no choice but to use the Kaio Ken. Ginyu let out a scream as he reached his full power of 120,000. Burter was watching the battle from the ground and smiled. He knew that two Saiyans could never match that kind of power.

"This is bad, Vegeta! We're really gonna have to work together!" Goku said but Vegeta had already begun flying toward Ginyu. Vegeta attacked Ginyu with a flurry of attacks, but the Captain was able to repel every single one. Still, Ginyu was surprised at how much Vegeta was keeping him on his toes. Once Goku joined in a few moments later, Ginyu found himself nearly getting overwhelmed. Burter saw this unfolding and couldn't believe. He launched a sneak attack on Vegeta, hitting him in the back with a flying kick. Goku, distracted by Vegeta getting sent flying, left himself open for attack. Ginyu pummeled Goku with several powerful blows, but just as Ginyu reared back a particularly powerful punch, Goku activated the Kaio Ken and caught Ginyu's fist. Ginyu's eyes widened in astonishment as Goku nearly broke his wrist. Burter couldn't believe what his scouter read. Goku's power level was 180,000. Vegeta had just gotten up and was prepared to rejoin the battle when he saw Goku's red aura and felt his immense power. _So, the technique he used against Nappa and me. Damn it, Kakarot, you could've ended this battle in an instant. He can handle Ginyu, which just leaves Burter to deal with._ Burter could see the captain was in trouble but just as he about to join the fray, Vegeta attacked him from behind.

Burter was still reeling from Vegeta's sneak attack and didn't have time to recover before Vegeta rushed up in front of him and unleashed a powerful ki blast, killing him instantly. Goku's dismay at Vegeta's brutality caused him to disengage the Kaio Ken and let go of Ginyu's fist. "Vegeta! There's no need for that kinda violence! You coulda let him live." "Enough, Kakarot! You're a Saiyan! Your merciful ways are going to get you killed one of these days." Before Goku could respond, Ginyu started loudly cackling. "All this power and yet you're so gentle, huh? You're quite the character. I think I know just how to deal with you." Goku was confused by Ginyu's words, but Vegeta grew concerned that Ginyu had a trick up his sleeve. He'd heard rumors that Ginyu had a certain special ability, but he didn't know what it was exactly. _I can't let this fight go on any longer. I have to go check up on Nappa._ Vegeta was just about to launch another sneak attack on Ginyu, but to his shock, Ginyu suddenly punched _himself,_ leaving him with a deep hole in his chest. Goku was shocked, wondering what Ginyu could be planning. Ginyu raised up his arms and proclaimed, "Change Now!" But before Ginyu could fully use his attack, he was sent hurtling to the ground by Vegeta.

Crashing to the ground, Ginyu cursed his luck. Ordinarily, Vegeta wouldn't have inflicted so much damage to him with just one attack, but because Ginyu had intentionally injured himself, his resistance to attacks had been greatly reduced. "That's what you get for being so soft, Kakarot! Who knows what he was about to do with that technique?! I'm going to finish this!" Vegeta started flying toward Ginyu, but he was playing right into Ginyu's hands. Ginyu used his technique once again and by the time Vegeta realized his mistake, it was too late. Fortunately, Goku used the Kaio Ken to quickly knock Vegeta out of the way, causing Ginyu's beam to miss. Cursing his luck, the captain began to realize this may be the end for him. Goku and Vegeta both flew down to the ground while Vegeta argued that Ginyu needed to die. Goku tried to protest, but Vegeta wasn't having it. Vegeta launched a ki blast at Ginyu and when the resulting smoke cloud dissipated, Ginyu was clearly dead. "Damn it, Vegeta, he was defenseless! He wasn't gonna hurt anyone!" "Last I checked, he was trying to hurt _us,_ Kakarot! He and Freeza's other men had killed countless Saiyans and that's not something I'm going to stand for. I've taken out a lot of Freeza's henchmen here and now I'm going for Freeza himself. He'll regret the day he ever thought he could silence the Saiyans!"

While Vegeta and Goku had been battling Ginyu, Nappa and the others had arrived at Freeza's ship. They quickly took out the remaining soldiers and set about looking for the dragon balls. With the dragon radar, they were easily able to find and dig up the buried dragon balls. Nappa thought to himself that maybe he should knock out Krillin and Gohan and then take the wish for himself. _Vegeta would be real happy I took some initiative. Then again, if Kakarot found out I hurt his kid, he might just kill me. Besides, I don't wanna fight my fellow Saiyans anymore. "_ Alright runts, so how does this work? How do we get our wish?" "Well, on Earth we just ask the Eternal Dragon to come forth and then he appears to grant our wish," Krillin responded. "I figure it's the same here." Raising his hand to the sky, Krillin proclaimed, "Dragon, we summon you! Rise and grant our wish!" But nothing happened. Puzzled, Krillin looked to Gohan, who shrugged his shoulders. "What happened?! Where's the dragon?" Nappa asked. Krillin pondered for a moment before realizing that maybe the Namekian dragon balls need some sort of password or special phrase. Krillin knew they had to get a Namekian to help and Dende was their best bet. But Krillin didn't want to leave Gohan alone with Nappa, but if both he and Gohan went to get Dende, then that would mean Nappa would be alone with the dragon balls. Krillin didn't trust the Saiyan enough for either option.

"Relax, runt," Nappa said suddenly. "Go off and find us a Namekian. I'm not gonna hurt the kid." It was as if Nappa had read Krillin's mind. Maybe he was smarter than Krillin gave him credit for. Krillin turned to Gohan and told him to be careful. Gohan nodded in agreement before Krillin took off to the skies and began flying toward the Grand Elder's home. As Krillin's figure faded off in to the distance, Gohan turned toward Nappa, who was reclined back on the ground with his hands propping up his head. As the two sat around in awkward silence for a few minutes, Nappa eventually decided to break up the boredom and asked, "So, kid, how about a little sparring session?" Gohan was shocked by the question initially, but he could tell from Nappa's tone of voice that he really did just mean a sparring session. He didn't have any ulterior motives. Still, Gohan was apprehensive. "Um, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, should we fight each other when we might have to fight Freeza soon?" "Come on, kid, it's just a little sparring! Think of it like a warm up. Besides, I gotta test out my new power anyway." Nappa had received a Zenkai after his beat down from Goku and was eager to see just how much stronger he'd become. Gohan was reluctant to agree but then again, he had also gotten stronger and in a way, this could maybe be his chance to get some measure of revenge against Nappa. Then again, if he managed to hurt Nappa, would that cause the Saiyan to viciously retaliate.

"You're half Saiyan, aren't you? Don't you wanna test your power? Or is the human side making all the decisions?" For better or worse, that question by Nappa did awaken a bit of the fiery, competitive Saiyan spirit within Gohan. "Fine! But I won't hold back!" Nappa chuckled to himself and got to his feet. Gohan looked up at the hulking Saiyan; he'd almost forgotten just how tall and intimidating he was. "Come on, runt, you just said you weren't gonna hold back! Let's see that power you showed me back on Earth." Suddenly, Gohan's mind was back on Earth. Piccolo had just been killed. By Nappa. Because Gohan had been too weak and cowardly to act. Piccolo's death had sent Gohan into a rage. Now all that rage was boiling back to the surface as Gohan remembered that day. Just as Nappa prepared to attack, Gohan let out a loud shout and his power suddenly flared up. Nappa's eyes went as Gohan rushed at him and landed a powerful kick to his face, sending him reeling backward. As Nappa tried to recover, Gohan unleashed a torrent of punches to Nappa's abdomen, but Nappa's unusual resilience allowed him to withstand the onslaught. Nappa grabbed hold of Gohan's hands, leaving the young half-Saiyan vulnerable. Nappa headbutted Gohan, leaving him bleeding from the forehead. Nappa then followed that up with a devastating kick to Gohan's stomach.

Gohan was sent flying and his power level went back down to normal as his rage subsided. Breathing hard, Nappa said, "Damn, kid, I'm impressed! Who woulda thought a half-Saiyan could have this kinda power? You're something else." Gohan slowly got back to his feet, still staggering a bit in the wake of Nappa's attacks. "You know, if hybrids like you are so strong, I just might have to have a kid of my own!" The thought of another Nappa made Gohan feel ill, so he hoped that Nappa was just joking. _Besides, what kind of woman would ever want to have a child with him?_ Now that their sparring session was over, Gohan pondered what to do next. Nappa wasn't the most patient guy around, so he needed to come up with something to occupy their time. After a bit of thinking, Gohan figured he could give Nappa a lesson in how to sense ki. Nappa had basically picked up how to suppress his energy through osmosis, but he still needed help on the finer parts of sensing ki. So Gohan set about teaching him the secrets of the technique. Nappa was a surprisingly adept student. He was, for the most part, patient and picked up the skill pretty quickly. By the time Goku and Vegeta arrived a short while later, Nappa had taken strides toward being able to sense ki as well as Gohan and the others.

Vegeta and Goku filled Nappa and Gohan in on what had happened with Ginyu while Gohan informed them that Krillin had flown off to get the password. A short while later, Krillin arrived with Dende, who was dismayed by the presence of Vegeta and Nappa. Gohan and Krillin pleaded with Dende to trust them and believe that the Saiyans wouldn't harm Dende. After some time, Dende finally relented and agreed to help them summon the dragon. While Nappa hadn't put much forethought into how these events would play out, now that they were actually about to summon the dragon, he began to realize that the earthlings were probably going to take the wish for themselves. As he began to contemplate stepping and taking the wish, Vegeta had already been scheming and planning this whole time. He wasn't going to let anyone steal his wish. This was the day that Vegeta was going to become immortal.


	7. Chapter 6

Dende called out in the native Namekian language, "Arise, Porunga! I summon you forth!" The dragon balls briefly flashed and the sky turned dark. A massive, powerful looking dragon emerged from the dragon balls, towering over everyone present. Vegeta was briefly taken aback by just how intimidating the dragon actually was, but he quickly regained his composure. _Kakarot's Kaio-Ken technique is still a problem. I need to wait for the right moment to strike._ Vegeta slowly maneuvered himself behind Goku, who was too caught up in Porunga's appearance to notice Vegeta's movement. It didn't go unnoticed by Nappa, however. He pondered what exactly Vegeta was planning. Was he going to betray Kakarot? As Vegeta was preparing to strike, Dende turned to face the group and asked them what they wanted their first wish to be. "Wait a minute, _first_ wish? How many do we get? Krillin inquired. Dende replied that Porunga was capable of granting three wishes. At that point, Vegeta couldn't suppress his smirk any longer. He was about to become truly unstoppable.

As Goku, Gohan and Krillin discussed what to wish for, Vegeta suddenly closed the distance on Goku and hit with him with a devastating combination of attacks. Goku's guard had been down and he was completely taken by surprise. Vegeta finished off his assault with a potent ki blast, leaving Goku battered and beaten as he crashed to the ground. Gohan ran over to his father, dismay in his eyes. Vegeta ignored him, turning his attention to Dende instead. "You, grant my wishes! Grant me immortality!" Dende stepped back in fear. He'd just seen Vegeta's fearsome power and utter ruthlessness firsthand. Krillin tried to step in, but Vegeta easily knocked him aside. Gohan's rage began to foment upon seeing his father and friend in such pain. His power began rising, which worried Vegeta. "Nappa, restrain the brat before he gets out of hand! I'll deal with the little Namekian here." Nappa turned toward Gohan, but he hesitated. Was this really the way they had to go about things? Hurting, maybe even killing, their fellow Saiyans? For the first time in his life, Nappa worked up the courage to disobey an order from his prince.

Vegeta looked at Nappa in utter shock. Approaching his subordinate, Vegeta asked him, "You dare disobey your prince? Don't tell me you've gone soft!" Krillin couldn't believe what he was seeing. First Nappa apologized to Goku, then he _didn't_ betray him and Gohan and now he was standing up to Vegeta. _Maybe... maybe this guy really can change after all. "_ I spare your worthless life back on Earth and this is how you repay me!" Vegeta said as he closed the distance even more between him and Nappa. As Vegeta was about to strike, Krillin fired a ki blast at him, which he easily deflected. Nappa took that opportunity to launch an attack at Vegeta, but he was able to dodge that as well. Vegeta quickly moved around behind Nappa and kicked him in the back, causing the large Saiyan to cry out in pain. "You're nowhere near my level, Nappa. Even if the two brats fight with you, all three of you can't hope to stop me! I'm getting my wish." Feeling desperate, Krillin yelled to Dende, "Wish our friends Piccolo, Tien, Yamcha and Chiaotzu back to life!" Vegeta rushed over to Dende and grabbed him by the collar. "Don't you dare grant any wish but mine! You're going to grant me immortality. Or you and everyone else here is going to die!" Dende could tell that Vegeta wasn't bluffing. He would really do it. Nappa got back to his feet, resigned to the fact that there was simply no stopping Vegeta. "Sorry kiddo, we're just not strong to stop him," he said to Gohan. It was the first time Nappa had called him anything other than "runt." "Kiddo" was almost a sign of respect coming from him. "You're goddamn right you're not strong to stop me," Vegeta said in response.

"And in turn, you're not strong enough to stop me." The unexpected voice startled the entire group, who turned around to see Freeza himself standing above them, looking absolutely livid. This was the first time that Nappa had ever seen Vegeta with genuine fear in his eyes. Vegeta turned to face Dende, screaming, "You have to grant my wish now! Give me immor-" Vegeta's sentence was cut short by a vicious punch to the gut from Freeza, leaving Vegeta gasping for breath. "The only one who's wish you're granting today is mine!" Vegeta was bad enough, but at least he was the lesser of two evils here. Dende refused to grant Freeza immortality. He'd die before doing so. But as turns out, Dende wasn't the Namekian destined to die at the moment. It was the Grand Elder who passed away instead. Already in poor health, the grief that the Grand Elder felt as a result of all the death and devastation on his planet accelerated his death. And with the Grand Elder dead, Porunga disappeared as well. The dragon balls fell to the ground as stone spheres, completely inactive. No wishes were granted this day.

Freeza, Nappa and Vegeta looked around in shock, but Krillin, Dende and Gohan all knew what had happened. "One of you, explain! What happened here? Where is the dragon!?" Freeza demanded. "Did you insignificant little worms really take my wish from me?" Vegeta, getting to his feet, replied, "Heh, looks like you got here a little too late, Freeza. Nobody got their wish. But you know what? I don't need immortality to beat you!" Freeza chuckling before responding, "Oh, is that so? The four of you are going to defeat the great Lord Freeza? Well, Vegeta, by all means, feel free to try!" Before Vegeta began his attack, Nappa recommended that they work together with the earthlings and plan out an attack strategy. "Oh my, Nappa the brute is actually using his head? Maybe this will be interesting after all," Freeza quipped. Though reluctant, Vegeta relented and ultimately agreed with Nappa. The four warriors gathered together to decide their plan of attack. "Go ahead and take as long as you like. It won't make any difference," said Freeza.

"Vegeta, the only shot we got is for me to use the Oozaru form!" said Nappa. "Don't you remember what happened last time? You almost killed all of us!" Krillin interjected. "You can't control yourself like that." Nappa hated the idea of being too weak to do something. It didn't matter if it was being too weak to defeat an opponent or being too weak to control himself. He felt the need to prove himself. "I'll stay under control. The only one I'm gonna hurt is Freeza. You have my word." Krillin cursed under his breath before finally agreeing. The other reason he didn't like this plan is that he and Gohan essentially had to act as distractions while Nappa transformed. Gohan and he had powered up significantly on Namek, but their powers still didn't even compare to Freeza's. Nonetheless, Krillin led the attack against Freeza, attacking with a flurry of attacks that Freeza easily dodged. While Freeza's back was turned, Gohan launched a Masenko at the tyrant and landed a direct hit. While this was happening, Vegeta conjured up an artificial moon and Nappa began his transformation. Freeza, who was unable to sense power levels, didn't realize Nappa's power was increasing until it was too late. He cursed his luck just as Nappa rose to his full height in Oozaru form. He let out a mighty roar and Krillin wondered if maybe the Saiyan had lost control again.

Nappa was fighting a battle within himself. His inner primal Saiyan was saying to just destroy everything in his path. To trample everyone in sight and lay waste to the planet. But there was another side to Nappa, one that was growing more and more potent all the time. Nappa was able to resist his primal urges and focus all his rage and power solely on Freeza. Thanks to his latest Zenkai, Nappa's power had risen to 75,000. In Oozaru form, his power had multiplied ten fold and currently stood at 750,000. Freeza launched a series of attacks on Nappa using his superior speed, but none of Freeza's attacks could inflict any damage. However, Nappa was too slow to hit Freeza, despite his advantage in strength. The two were essentially stalemated until Vegeta launched a sneak attack on Freeza, attacking him from behind. It didn't do much damage to Freeza, but it was enough to give Nappa an opening. He connected with a crushing punch, sending Freeza hurting to the ground. The tyrant cried out in pain as Nappa picked him up with both hands and started to crush Freeza, just as Vegeta had done to Goku back on Earth. Nappa took pleasure in causing Freeza this much pain. He viewed it as revenge for the entire Saiyan race.

Vegeta expected Freeza's power to start decreasing as he was crushed by Nappa, but something strange was happening, something that Nappa clearly wasn't noticing. Freeza's strength was actually _increasing._ Suddenly, Nappa found himself having trouble keeping his grasp on Freeza. Freeza was growing taller, buffer and more powerful. Eventually, he broke free from Nappa's grasp, having transformed into his second form. Vegeta had heard rumors that Freeza was capable of transforming, but he didn't believe them. It felt like Freeza's power had doubled! Even with Nappa in Oozaru form now, what chance did they have? Nappa tried his best to land a blow on Freeza, but he was far too slow. He unleashed a ki blast from his mouth, but Freeza easily deflected it. Smirking at Nappa, Freeza said, "I have to admit, you gave me a bit of a scare there. But in the end, you're nothing more than a filthy, weak Saiyan. You could never contend with the likes of Freeza!" Freeza used his blinding speed to unleash a torrent of hits on Nappa, staggering him backward. Gohan and Krillin watched in panic, afraid to interfere because of Freeza's incredible power. Vegeta, meanwhile, contemplated fleeing but he ultimately decided he couldn't leave his fellow Saiyan behind. He tried to attack Freeza, but he was swatted aside with just one attack.

Nappa's hardiness allowed him to withstand quite a lot of punishment from Freeza, but even he was nearing his limit. "Well now, how about we rip that tail off and be done with all this primitive nonsense, hmm?" Nappa instinctively wrapped his tail around his waist, trying to protect it. If Freeza cut his tail off, any chance of victory they might've had would disappear. As Freeza prepared to strike, a massive surge of power drew everyone's attention. Suddenly, Goku stood fully healed and with power manifold beyond what it was before. Vegeta looked on in astonishment. _I just knocked Kakarot out a few minutes ago. How could he already be conscious? And... he's grown so much in power? How?!_ As it turned out, Dende had healing powers and he had used his abilities to heal Goku while Freeza was distracted. Goku's power had increased substantially and he felt confident he could compete with Freeza. However, Freeza was merely amused by this, especially since he couldn't sense power levels and didn't know just how powerful Goku had become. "Oh, do we have a new challenger now? I'll deal with you in a moment; allow me to just finish off Nappa here," said Freeza. But before Freeza could land the finishing blow on Nappa, Goku caught Freeza's fist. Freeza hadn't even seen Goku move at all. _Who is this warrior? Could he be a Saiyan? But, his power is astonishing for a Saiyan..._

Goku used his superior strength to nearly crush Freeza's hand, causing the tyrant to cry out in pain. Goku, with disdain, said, "You've killed so many people. Done so much evil. Tried to kill my own son. I ain't gonna stand for that. But I heard a lot about you and your power, Freeza." Krillin could tell what Goku was about to say next and cursed to himself. Goku was a Saiyan after all and that meant he thirsted for a challenge. "And I get the feeling this ain't all you can do. I wanna see your full power," Goku said as he let go of Freeza's wrist. "Goku, just finish him now while you have the chance!" Krillin implored, but his plea fell on deaf ears. He was a human among Saiyans, a pragmatist among blood knights. Freeza was going to demonstrate his full power and there was nothing Krillin could do about it. Freeza began focusing his power and his form began to change once again. He transformed into a grotesque looking form with a long, narrow head but he didn't stay in that form for very long. His power continued to increase even more as he prepared to access his true form. Krillin and Gohan looked on in a panic, while Goku felt a mixture of excitement and regret. Had he underestimated just how powerful Freeza would become?

Meanwhile, Vegeta checked on the condition of Nappa, who was barely conscious from Freeza's earlier beat down. Shocking Vegeta, Nappa managed to speak in Oozaru form. "Vegeta... we... gotta... help... Ka-Kakarot." Nappa had never mastered his Oozaru form and was unaccustomed to speaking in it, so every word was a struggle. Nonetheless, he got his point across. "Help low class trash like him? After all the time we've spent fighting him! I refuse," Vegeta countered. "Vegeta! He's still... a Saiyan! We need to... take down Freeza!" As Vegeta thought things over, Nappa suddenly had an idea. "Wait! The Namek kid... he could heal me!" Vegeta realized Nappa was right. With another Zenkai, Nappa could most likely compete with Freeza again, even as the tyrant's power continued to rise. It looked as though Freeza was almost finished with his transformation, so Vegeta knew that they had to hurry up. He rushed over to where Dende, Krillin and Gohan were watching the battle and implored them to help Nappa. Krillin and Gohan were reluctant but realized they might have no other choice. Dende, however, flatly refused. He wanted no part of helping murderous Saiyans like Nappa.

As the group debated, Freeza's transformation was finally complete. He stood in his true form: short, sleek and incredibly powerful. Goku couldn't believe the power that Freeza was putting out. The two began their battle and exchanged blows evenly. Any time it seemed like Freeza had won, Goku managed to recover. Still, it was clear that Freeza had a slight advantage. Goku had only managed to land just a few blows on Freeza. Eventually, Goku began using the Kaioken technique, but it still wasn't enough. Vegeta berated Dende for not helping Nappa, but Dende said he would much rather put his hope in Goku. But Goku was fighting a losing battle. After Freeza powered up to half of his full power, he held an insurmountable lead on Goku. The tyrant viciously beat down Goku, who had to use a Kaioken x 10 just to defend himself. As Nappa watched Goku get demolished, his hope started to give out and his injuries took their toll. Nappa collapsed and fell unconscious. Vegeta inspected Nappa to make sure he was still breathing. Krillin was puzzled. Did Vegeta just show genuine concern for his comrade? "He's still breathing but he won't hold on for long," said Vegeta. "And now Kakarot is losing! There's no other option here!" Dende looked on at the battle, seeing Goku wage a seemingly hopeless battle against Freeza. Still, he refused. Gohan put his hand on Dende's shoulder and pleaded with him. "Please, my dad's going to die out there! I don't like this any more than you do but Nappa is our best shot right now."

Looking into Gohan's eyes, Dende finally realized the desperation of the situation. He healed Nappa, granting him yet another Zenkai. The number of Zenkais that Nappa had gotten recently, so many in such a short time, caused the Saiyan defense mechanism to overcompensate and go into overdrive. His strength increased massively, putting his power level well into the millions. He stood up, utterly amazed at his own power. Goku felt the massive surge in ki and looked over in Nappa's direction in shock. Freeza, curious though unable to sense ki, also looked over to see what had Goku so floored. He was confused to see Nappa on his feet once again. _What?! He was on death's door a mere moment ago. Now he's on his feet again? What is going on here?_ Nappa confidently strode over toward Freeza in complete control of his Oozaru form. Vegeta couldn't believe how calm and collected Nappa appeared. He was truly the best hope of the Saiyans now. Nappa pointed at Freeza and proclaimed, "Freeza! It's all over now! I'm going to show you the true power of the Saiyans! Today's the day we get our revenge!" And with that, Nappa charged at Freeza, prepared for the most intense battle of his life.


End file.
